1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as a PDP) and its driving apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, a method of exciting and emitting a fluorescent material by the irradiation of ultraviolet rays generated in association with a discharge is used for realizing a color display by a PDP. Practically, fluorescent materials of three different colors such as R (red), G (green), and B (blue) are appropriately combined, thereby performing a display of color. Further, in case of a matrix-type display, namely, in case of displaying characters or figures by combinations of pixels, at least three unit light emitting regions corresponding to the above-mentioned three colors are formed for each pixel. As such a color display PDP, for example, an apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Kokai No. 5-205642.
The above apparatus includes: a plurality of row electrode pairs each comprising a pair of row electrodes adjacently arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction on one of substrates; a plurality of address electrodes arranged in the vertical direction in order to selectively allow a unit light emitting region to emit light; and fluorescent material films of three primary colors of R, G, and B which are formed on a substrate serving as a display surface so as to face the row electrode pairs via a discharge space and are excited by ultraviolet rays generated by a discharge between the row electrode pairs.
In order to improve a resolution in the vertical direction of the PDP, it is necessary to form one pixel in a small size because the number of row electrodes in the vertical direction has to be increased by increasing the number of pixels in the vertical direction. When the dimensions of one pixel are reduced, the dimensions of the row electrode are also reduced. It is, therefore, difficult to precisely manufacture the row electrodes in excess of a patterning precision and a width of row electrode is so narrow that a disconnection of the electrode easily occurs.